ALMACENES ARA. THE BIRTH OF A DEPARTMENT STORE

This Museum of Commerce Booklet recounts the evolution of a very particular type of retail business: ready-to-wear department stores, a way of approaching the clothing trade that brought about innovations not only in customer relations but also in business management and employee relations. Although Almacenes ARA was not the first store of its kind to be established here in Salamanca, it has, throughout its almost seventy years of operation, been one of the most representative. Its significance is exemplified by the fact that, in the early sixties, ARA boasted twenty commercial sections within a single establishment.

It is often said that Castile lacks the commercial acumen found in other Spanish regions, such as Catalonia. Here is a case – and not the only one – that proves otherwise. The history of Almacenes ARA is now in its third generation and will undoubtedly continue, under the direction of the descendants of Don Ramón García Santana, adapting to the times for many more years to come.

27.5x15cm, 2.5€